XIX: The Infinite, Part 1
Xena In my opinion, the most difficult aspect of war is the chaos. When you’re on the battlefield, there’s absolutely no way to figure out what’s going on most of the time. You can plan as much as you want, but there is no guarantee that any of it will go accordingly. I have experienced this time and time again, and this battle is no different. Drake and I rushed back onto the city’s battlefield after our scuffle with the leaders of the Zoni, and we were immediately thrust into the action. Shots were flying from all over as the Zoni were desperate to be rid of their last major obstacle towards world domination. I immediately put up a shield around myself and Drake to protect us from the gunfire. Then, I expanded the shield outwards as a shockwave, and that obliterated all of the enemies that were close to us. “Drake, are you okay?” I asked. He nodded. “I’m fine Xena.” He then grabbed a rifle and a pistol from one of the nearby corpses. I shot him a confused look. “What? If I’m going to be in this battle, then I am going to make myself useful. I don’t want to be a burden,” he explained. “Fair enough,” I replied. We decided that the best course of action to take was to fight our way to the Knights, and keep as many of them alive as possible. Quickly, this proved to be a daunting task. The Zoni’s forces were completely overwhelming the Knights, and there was little that we could do to help. One by one, our friends fell by their hands. Orion was the last one to fall. I shed a single tear when I saw the blade cut off his head. I fell to my knees in agony. Once again, many of my friends had died because of my inability to protect them. Drake tried his best to snap me out of it. “Xena! Damn it, not now. Their deaths will be in vain if you and I die too. You can’t just give up now!” he yelled. I didn’t listen. I couldn’t listen. The flurry of gunshots augmented with every passing second. Drake struggled to find cover, and to return fire. It was a miracle that he wasn’t slain by this point. “Xena, are you even listening?! We’re about to die here!” he pleaded. I continued to be catatonic. Surely enough, Drake couldn’t hold out forever, and he was shot in the shoulder. He continued to return fire until he was shot again in the torso. He fell to the ground, bleeding profusely. He tried to say something to me, but all he could do was cough up blood. I knew that he was dying. I could easily save him. Very easily. One simple touch and all those bullet wounds would be nothing. Hell, at this rate, I would probably die before Drake. The gunshots were pelting my body all over, and I was bleeding heavily. Soon, I would pass out, and I’d be dead. The Zoni would have what they want, and the world wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore. However, that wouldn’t be an entirely bad thing. After all, if I died, then I could finally be with all of my friends that had passed. I could see my parents. I could see my old friends from the K.R.E.W. Ivy, Yun, Des. Oh, that would be so nice. It really would. All it would take it for that to happen, would be for me to do nothing. I don’t have to heal my injuries right now. I can just let myself die peacefully. “What the hell are you doing?!” a loud familiar voice yelled. Confused, I looked around to see who it was. To my shock and surprise, it was Des! “I can’t believe it. Des, you’re alive? You got out of your coma?” I asked. “You know the answer to that Xena. Now listen, we didn’t go through everything that we went through just so that you could give up in your most important battle,” he scolded. “But Des, it’s so hard. I can’t do this all by myself. I can’t protect everyone that I care about. Anyone who I get close to dies, and there’s nothing that I can do about it,” I lamented. “Life is hard Xena, it really is. Trust me, I know. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people and there is nothing that you can do about it. But that is not a good reason to quit,” he said. “Listen, meeting you was the best thing that happened to me, and the fact that you’re alive right now gives me hope to return some day. Don’t let the legacies of your friends die with you. Right now, the world needs you. Don’t give up.” I looked at Des with teary eyes. He was right, as always. Hearing the sound of his voice and feeling the power behind his words rejuvenated me. I snapped out of my catatonic state just in time to heal the multitude of wounds that I had received. I was shocked at how many bullet holes were on me. I looked like I was stabbed by a thousand knives. I quickly put up a shield around me, and I ran over to Drake. He was on the verge of dying too. “Drake, I’m so sorry about everything, but I’m going to make this right,” I promised. I held my hand to his wounds, and I fed him the necessary positive energy for them to heal. I became concerned because he was unresponsive even after his wounds closed up. I feared that I was too late. Luckily, he started to blink. “Xena, what happened?” he asked, clearly in a confused state. I held my hand to his lips. “Shhh, take it easy hero. I can handle it from here.” By this point, all of the Zoni forces surrounded me, and they were desperately trying to destroy my shield by shooting it down. Little did they know that this would have no effect on me. I have been in situations far worse than this, but the difference was that my enemies were not alive. I began to levitate into the air while charging up my energy, which also increased the size of my shield. This intimidated the soldiers who had witnessed what had transpired the last time that I did this. However, before I sent out the shockwave that would end all of their lives, and win the battle for me, I decided to change my approach. “Zoni forces, let this be known to all of you. I would rather not obliterate you all. I want to end this conflict peacefully. If you choose to put down your weapons and surrender, then I promise you that none of you will perish. However, if you choose to keep fighting, then I will erase you all without mercy. What is your decision?” I announced to everyone. An eerie silence enveloped the battlefield. Not a single whisper came out of anyone’s mouth for at least fifteen minutes. It was the tensest standoff that I had ever been a part of. During that long moment, I was sure that I had ended the conflict peacefully. I was certain that there would not have to be anymore spilled blood. I smiled at everyone. Unfortunately, this peace did not last. A Zoni soldier fired a rocket at me, and it was a direct hit. I could hear the soldiers cheer as the explosion enveloped my entire body. Little did they know that this would have no effect on me. I reacted well before the rocket made contact, and I shielded myself accordingly. After the explosion dissipated, they saw that I was unharmed. A few scared soldiers started to run away. The rest opened fire. I realized at that moment that there was no feasible way to end this conflict without obliterating every single one of them, and yet, something told me not to do it. I assumed that it was my own twisted morals that were confusing me. I looked down at Drake, and we shared a longing stare. I could tell by the look on his face that he trusted my decision, whatever it would be. Having him at my side empowered me. The only problem was that the enemy that I wanted to destroy was bigger than the Zoni. “Xena, it’s okay, don’t hesitate. You know what you have to do!” Drake said to me. I nodded at him, and then I turned my attention to the remaining Zoni soldiers. It was time to end this fight, once and for all. Next time on 13th Redux... Category:Chapters